INEOS line up move to sign the next Martial in £100m deal for Man Utd

Very few Manchester United signings have injected a sense of excitement like Anthony Martial’s when the Frenchman joined from AS Monaco back in the summer of 2015.

The Red Devils paid a reported £36m to land the youngster, with such a deal breaking the record for the most expensive teenager in football history at the time.

His debut goal off the bench against Liverpool at Old Trafford only added to the excitement of the fanbase, with many expecting the forward to reach cult hero status in Manchester.

Martial racked up a total of 317 appearances across nine years for United, subsequently managing to find the back of the net on 90 occasions.

His time at the club will undoubtedly be fondly remembered, but the hierarchy have an opportunity to land a similar talent when the window opens this summer.

Man Utd line up £100m move for French sensation

In recent weeks, United have been linked with a whole host of attacking talents to try and help their chances of winning the Premier League during 2026/27.

RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande is just one player who’s appeared on their radar, after netting 12 times during his debut campaign in the Bundesliga this term.

Liverpool are another club currently in the race to land the Ivorian international, which could result in a potential transfer battle to land the 19-year-old’s signature.

However, Diomande isn’t the only young attacker on United’s radar at present, with Bournemouth star Eli Kroupi Junior another star who’s captured the attention of the hierarchy.

According to I News, the Red Devils are lining up a summer move for the French star who’s already scored 12 times in his 30 Premier League games this campaign.

The report also states that the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are all closely monitoring the 19-year-old’s progress ahead of the summer transfer window.

A £100m price tag has recently been mooted for the youngster’s signature, but other reports have claimed the Cherries are not willing to sanction a sale.

Why Kroupi would be Man Utd’s next Martial

Despite the hype around a deal for Martial, there’s no denying the Frenchman ultimately fell short of the expectations placed upon him by the supporters.

He also massively struggled with injuries during his time at Old Trafford, with the 30-year-old suffering 21 separate injury issues during his nine years in Manchester.

As a result, he was often playing just to regain his fitness, resulting in the forward only managing to score a goal in every 3.6 games he featured in for the Red Devils.

However, his spell will always be fondly remembered by supporters, with the hierarchy able to land their next version of the fan-favourite with a deal for Kroupi this summer.

Like Martial, the teenager has enjoyed an incredible start to his professional career, subsequently scoring 40 times in his first 96 appearances at Bournemouth and Lorient.

Celebrated as “the next Mbappe” by GOAL, it is arguably no surprise to see that he’s taken to the Premier League like a duck to water this term despite his tender age, which could see the youngster have a huge future ahead of him in England.

United’s interest in the Cherries star could them land the next Martial, with Kroupi emulating his compatriot in joining the Red Devils in a big-money deal as a teenager.

During the 2025/26 campaign, he’s notched 12 goals from just 20 shots on target – with such a record the second best of any striker in England’s top-division this term.

He’s also registered a 47% shot on target accuracy rate this campaign, which only reaffirms his clinical nature when having the ball within the final third of the pitch.

The Cherries star, who’s been dubbed “one of the world’s best” by James Hill, has also completed 49% of the dribbles he’s attempted this campaign, whilst winning possession back in the final third 1.2 times per 90.

The latter of the aforementioned stats ranks him in the top 2% of forwards in the division, which also makes him a huge asset out of possession for the Red Devils.

£100m on Kroupi would be a huge risk for United, just as it was with Martial, but such a move could easily help set the club up for future success at Old Trafford.

He’s already demonstrated he’s capable of thriving in England’s top-flight, but he’s only going to get better with experience, whilst featuring with better talents around him.

A deal to Manchester would provide the youngster just that, whilst also handing him an opportunity to build on his compatriot’s legacy at the Theatre of Dreams.